Lyndsay MacWilliams is a Source Watershed Monitoring and Restoration Intern at Winter River – Tracadie Bay Watershed Association located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The internship lies within the Clean Tech stream which is Funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of their Science Horizons Youth Internship Programof the Career Launcher Internship Program.

Her work revolves around data collection of water quality and quantity metrics, and restoration activities to improve water quantity and quality within the watershed, which is the source of most of the water used by the City of Charlottetown. She is also developing her abilities in grant application, brush mat building as well as skills to build other natural infrastructure.

At Winter River, she is learning, researching, and exploring beyond watershed management activities including gathering outdoor field knowledge with help from mentors and a supportive team. The Career Launcher Internship Program is proving to be a worthwhile professional experience, reigniting her passion in environmental sciences that was dampened by the pandemic.

Interview Questions

1. What was a problem or task that you were assigned at work and how did you overcome it?
   • I have been assigned a lot of new things at work. Now with the work from home routine due to the pandemic, I am working on applying for grants or funding. I have never really had any experience in that so when my boss asked me to do that, I was nervous and hesitant to express my own ideas and thoughts. As I went on, I told myself, ‘Lyndsay you’re just learning, you don’t have to know everything and its okay to be wrong, give feedback and receive feedback from somebody else.’ So, for me to overcome the obstacle that it is okay to just learn and receive honest feedback from my boss about what is going well and what is not, was a learning experience. Believing in myself and communicating with my seniors helped me in overcoming the challenge. This entire process helped me to become more confident about myself.
2. One tip you could give employers on how they should onboard their intern.
   • My onboarding experience was a good one. Due to the pandemic restrictions, there were some roadblocks, but it was managed well. I knew my position and I was familiar with the people I was working with. I really think that employers, when they are doing onboarding with a new intern, it is important, if possible, to offer in-person and field training for the intern to shadow and ask questions. It helps the employers and the intern get comfortable. My supervisors and coordinator did that well during my onboarding. For my first day, I was able to go to the office and attend an orientation session that helped me know about the organization and its policies, the work area, and what was expected of employees and interns. I was also able to shadow my boss in water monitoring activities. While I am working from home now, I communicate frequently with her. The initial in-person interaction started the process of us communicating back and forth with much ease.
3. Did the internship make you feel prepared from school/academics to the professional space?
   • I was able to participate in different activities and acquire new skills beyond water monitoring. Within the environmental field, it is important to get outdoor field experience. So, I have a lot to add to my resume. Whenever I do decide to move away from Winter River, I feel the internship has broadened my horizon and realize there is so much more out there.
4. How inclusive is the workplace or the team?
   • I do find it is inclusive. There are students and youth who work with Winter River during summer and fall and have diverse backgrounds, e.g., engineering, psychology, biology etc. It is interesting to have different thought processes in the work and be appreciative of everyone’s contribution. I was shy and reserved at the beginning but felt respected and appreciated. The morale of the team is high, which is reflected in the team spirit.
   • At present the organization has a woman-dominated crew but is working towards having a more diverse composition.
5. Are there any new skills that you developed/are developing while you are at the worksite and what are they?
   • I acquired skills related to assessments – water quality, water quantity and general. I learned to create MathBrush infrastructure. I am now well-versed in grant writing.
6. How will your work during the internship make a difference to the community?
   • The Winter River watershed is a source of water for the City of Charlottetown. Water monitoring activities related to quality and quantity are essential. The tasks performed by me with the team will help the organization in its consultations with the City of Charlottetown about the ecosystem, regulations etc.
7. What are your thoughts about women and girls working and researching in the field of science?
   • I am happy about the growing number of women and girls in science. In the field of environmental sciences, it is hard, both physically and mentally, but rewarding. I feel empowered to be a part of this community and to be able to leave a mark on the world.
8. How did the Career Launcher Internship Program encourage you to begin/ grow a career in science?
   • I have had short-term jobs before the internship. When the pandemic happened and there was uncertainty everywhere, I started to feel discouraged and questioned by career choices. The internship reignited my passion and encouraged me to stay on my path. I am enjoying my current role at Winter River where I can learn, research, and explore.

Blessing Tshimungu is interning as a Youth Social Worker at From the Heart Church Ministries of Edmonton located in Edmonton, Alberta. The internship lies within the ImpAct stream, funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and implemented via the Career Launcher Internship Program.

Her scope of work lies within the Special Needs Education sector of the organization where she can interact and work with people who are not her age, come from diverse backgrounds and possess different thought processes. The internship is giving her the opportunity to network and learn about the nuances of professional communication. She is happy to share a close bond with her coworkers who cultivate a safe and comfortable work environment.

She has had the opportunity to share her experiences with many aspiring interns where she encourages them to grow professionally and personally. The Career Launcher Internship Program provided her with directions and helped her to understand what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

Interview Questions

1. What is your perception of IWD?
   • It a day of love and appreciation for all women and younger girls.
2. Why do you think it is important to observe IWD?
   • It is important because as women we did not have many rights until a few decades ago. International Women’s Day is an important reminder of where we came from and who we are today.
3. What was a problem or task that you were assigned at work and how did you overcome it?
   • I have come across different people at work who are not necessarily of the same wavelength as me and there exist differences in thought processes, way of functioning etc. To overcome barriers in working together, I initiated open communication to arrive at a common goal and understanding.
4. One tip you could give employers on how they should onboard their intern.
   • Most interns would find it easier to socialize and bond with employees of the organization if there were fun games or icebreakers at the orientation session. It would help with team-building activities.
5. Did the internship make them feel prepared from school/academics to the professional space?
   • The internship helped me to understand how the outside world works in terms of interacting and working with people who are not my age, come from diverse backgrounds etc.
6. How inclusive is the workplace or the team?
   • The workplace is like one big family where we are extremely close to each other. The team is comprised of an amazing group of people who are more than coworkers. It is a great environment to be myself, a place where my opinions are welcomed, and I am encouraged to be myself without any fear of judgement.
7. Are there any new skills that you developed/are developing while you are at the worksite and what are they?
   • I learnt about the nuances of communication such as the timing and content of messaging. I acquired the skill of networking with other professionals via email, telephone etc.
8. How will your work during the internship make a difference to the community?
   • I feel it will encourage other individuals to get more involved in internships to grow and learn. I get a chance to share my experiences with many aspiring interns where it is enriching to share my journey and encourage them to grow individually and professionally.
9. Have you come across any negative stereotyping of women at your workplace?
   • There has not been any such incident.
10. What do you believe can be done to address gender stereotypes in your field?
    • Just as there are seminars and workshops to raise awareness about sexual harassment at workplace, drunk-driving and other social issues, similarly there could more awareness about such negative stereotyping of women at workplaces. These educational sessions could address how people should not cross the line and be aware of women as individuals. It would also be worthwhile to stand up when such instances occur and take a moment to educate the offender about the wrong done.
11. How did the Career Launcher Internship Program encourage you to begin/ grow a career in the social sector?
    • I am not only an intern but also a businessperson and a woman of colour. After high school I was confused about what I should pursue. This internship provided me with directions and helped me to understand what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Anna Jessop is interning as Project Assistant at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The internship lies within the ImpAct program stream, funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and implemented via Career Launcher.

NSCC is missioned to grow Nova Scotia’s economy and contribute to the life of Nova Scotians. The projects here are centered around sustainable development goals. Approximately 90% of graduates from NSCC work and live locally, so the projects through the 14 campuses are about making a positive impact on the workforce in rural and urban communities.

When she started working with the organization, she was introduced to the challenging task of generating awareness about NSCC sustainability programs in 14 campuses. She created a poster campaign where she designed resources and posters based on the sustainable development goals and provided context in terms of what the goals would mean in a local perspective, the programs developed by NSCC to address those goals, and quick access resources for people to get more information. She feels her team trusts her and provides ample ground to contribute and learn.

One skill that she acquired from scratch during the internship was graphic design. Coming from a science-driven background, she did not know much graphic design during her undergraduate or graduate degrees. At the internship, there was a need to develop communication materials such as posters, slide decks etc. which she created using different design software.

She has always been interested to work in the field of corporate, and institutional sustainability. The internship has allowed her the opportunity to find that kind of work just when she needed it.

Interview Questions

1. What was a problem or task that you were assigned at work and how did you overcome it?
   • The organization runs sustainability campaigns but there weren’t many staff members who were aware of it. When I started my work with the organization, I was asked to address this issue. It was a challenging project as staff were geographically spread in 14 NSCC campuses and open communication was essential to generate awareness. One of the things that I did was created a poster campaign where I designed resources and posters based on the sustainable development goals. I described what the goals would mean in a local perspective, the programs developed by NSCC to address those goals, and quick access resources for people to get more information. These materials were posted on the sustainability boards of the 14 campuses for staff and students to read. Another project that I took up was related to SDG goals where I helped to design workshops along with another intern. These workshops focused on creating a resource for staff to support their foundational knowledge of the SDG and bring greater awareness to how the SDG are being advanced across the College. We delivered these materials to a diverse group of staff members in the college.
2. One tip you could give employers on how they should onboard their intern.
   • Something that helped me when I was new to the organization is shadowing a mentor on the team. Managers are always willing to provide guidance, but their time is limited. In such situations, a team member can prove to be of great support who can answer your questions and show you the ways of the team. Additionally, access to team meeting notes and internal documents can also be beneficial for new employees or interns to know about ongoing and upcoming projects as long as they don’t contain sensitive or confidential information.
3. Did the internship make them feel prepared from school/academics to the professional space?
   • It definitely did. When I started this program, I had been out of school for a couple of years, building my resume and gathering experiences. But this opportunity has been a valuable journey for me because I was interested in corporate, and institutional sustainability. I always thought that getting an opportunity like this would take time to find. So, I am glad that I was selected for this internship and grow in my field of interest.
4. How inclusive is the workplace or the team?
   • I work with a small team on a daily basis, but it is very inclusive. They have been really accommodating to me. On a larger scale, there are more than 2000 staff at NSCC so the wider community and culture at the colleges is really inclusive. When I joined the team, they provided an overview of the work, but I had ample ground to contribute and learn. They trusted me with the work that I felt was important.
5. Are there any new skills that you developed/are developing while you are at the worksite and what are they?
   • One skill that I acquired from scratch was – graphic design. I come from a science-driven background, and I had not come across graphic design during my undergraduate or graduate degrees. When I started in the internship, there was a need to develop communication materials such as posters, slide decks etc. I started to develop these myself using Canva and I feel I am getting better at that. An addition to that would be learning to work in a communications and promotional role.
6. How will your work with Nova Scotia Community College make a difference to the community?
   • I am really excited about my work at the college. NSCC is missioned to grow Nova Scotia’s economy and contribute to the life of Nova Scotians. The projects here are centered around sustainable development goals. Approximately 90% of graduates from NSCC work and live locally, so the projects through the 14 campuses are about making a positive impact on the workforce, rural and urban An interesting project that I have been working is integrating sustainable literacy and sustainable learning into the curriculum to build student capacity as they transition to the work force. This in turn would make a difference to the province’s economy and accelerate sustainable development. Being able to instill education about sustainable development and the sustainable development goals into the training and outreach that happens in these communities will have very real impacts on those communities. When we mainstream sustainability into our campuses, through the culture and the education and the physical environment. We are preparing our staff and our students to take that with them into the more rural communities and spur systemic changes in those areas. So, I have no doubt that this work that NSCC is taking on will act as an accelerator to developing sustainability in those areas and that is going to have a really positive impact on those people, on their economy and their environment and will lead to more resilient communities.
7. How did the Career Launcher Internship Program encourage you to begin/ grow a career?
   • I was always interested in working in the field of corporate, and institutional sustainability. The internship has allowed me the opportunity to find that kind of work just when I needed it. I think this will definitely have benefits going forward in terms of my learning and growth.